Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday called the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act a “stomach punch to the American economy.”

“Freedom was frontally attacked by passage of this monstrosity,” the former Republican presidential hopeful said in a statement, adding, “The Court utterly failed in its duty to uphold the Constitutional limits placed on Washington.”

“It is a shocking disappointment to freedom-loving Americans desperate to get our country back on track. ‘Obamacare’ is bad for the economy, bad for health care, bad for freedom,” Perry said. “Americans have made clear their overwhelming opposition to its convoluted, burdensome and overreaching mandates.”

He added, “Now that the Supreme Court has abandoned us, we citizens must take action at every level of government and demand real reform, done with respect for our Constitution and our liberty.”